Mistletoe
by angel17712
Summary: Getting stuck under the mistletoe can have different outcomes, especially for both a red and blue ranger, not to mention their friends and family. MF, MaddyNick.
1. Mistletoe

Mistletoe

By Angel17712

Disclaimer: I don't own them, I just wish I did.

A/N: This idea decided to pop into my head when I was reading the reviews that Etcetera Kit has received for her newly posted fic, Believe. Let me know in your reviews if you would like me to put up any other chapters; otherwise, this is going to be a one-shot.

Dedicated to PinkGreenWhite4ever. Thanks, you're awesome! Please review!

"What are you doing, Leelee?" asked Madison as she walked in for her shift at the Rock Porium.

"I'm hanging mistletoe, Christmas is coming up soon, and what's Christmas without mistletoe?" LeeLee responded slyly. Hanging above LeeLee's head was indeed a decorative cluster of mistletoe.

"Yeah, but most people don't believe in the whole, "kiss if you get stuck under the mistletoe" tradition nowadays anyway," said Vida with a roll of her eyes.

"I know, but it's still a cool thing to have up anyway," said LeeLee as she got down from the small step ladder and put it away. She went to the back where Vida was working the DJ tables and surveyed the point at which her mistletoe was hanging. It was a perfect spot for two certain rangers to get stuck under it and have to kiss. LeeLee laughed to herself.

Sighing in frustration, Vida pulled off her headphones and motioned to LeeLee. "Okay, LeeLee, time to spill: why did you really put the mistletoe up? What's the point?"

LeeLee grinned evilly, deciding to tell her friend. "All right. You know how Nick and Maddy both like each other yet they continue to dance around the other?"

Vida nodded, knowing exactly what LeeLee was talking about. The red and blue rangers were both crazy about the other, yet neither of them would be caught dead showing acknowledgement to the fact. "Yeah, so?"

"Think about it, Vida. They both get caught under the mistletoe and what will have to happen?"

Vida's eyes widened, knowing exactly what LeeLee meant. If Nick and Maddy got stuck under the mistletoe, they'd have to kiss and hopefully, they would be honest with each other and with themselves. "Okay. So how do you plan to get them both under the mistletoe at the same time?"

LeeLee sat for a moment, looking thoughtful. Then, it came to her. "I have a plan, but I'm going to need yours, Xander's and Chip's help to make it happen. You with me?"

Vida nodded quickly, ready to hear this plan. Her sister might kill her later for coming up with a plan like this, but in the end, Maddy would thank her later.

LeeLee whispered the plan into Vida's ear. With any luck, this plan would work.

* * *

Vida looked at the clock that was on the wall behind the register. Nick was due to come in for his shift in jut a few minutes. That was just enough time to tell Xander and Chip about the plan and getting them to help her. Vida walked over to middle of the store, where Chip was discounting vinyl albums and Xander was, as per usual, supervising.

"Hey, guys, I need your help. See the mistletoe over there?" Vida pointed it out.

Both boys looked at the mentioned mistletoe, rolling their eyes. "How could we miss it? It's huge," Chip pointed out.

"I don't get what the point of that stuff is anyway. It's just a chance for girls' to get to kiss guys," said Xander.

"The only reason you don't like it is because you don't have a girlfriend or a hot date that you can get under it to kiss," said Vida. "Anyway, you know how Nick and Maddy are always acting around each other?"

Both boys nodded their heads. Their leader and the blue ranger danced around how they felt for the other so much that they'd win first place in a dancing contest. "Yeah, so what are we gonna do about it?" said Chip.

Vida grinned. "LeeLee and I came up with a fool-proof plan to get those two under the mistletoe, but we're going to need you guys' help in order to make it happen."

"LeeLee came up with this plan?" said Xander disbelievingly.

"Yeah, I know. So are you guys in or not?" Vida asked, her hands on her hips. Both males looked at each other, thinking about what their choices were. They could help Vida and LeeLee with their plan in getting their two friends together, or they could not help and risk Vida's wrath.

"We're in," they answered simultaneously.

"Great! We don't have a lot of time, Nick's coming in for his shift in just a few minutes," said Vida. She motioned them toward her and quickly told them about the plan that she and LeeLee had concocted.

* * *

Madison walked around the record shop, keeping herself busy with work. She had noticed that LeeLee, Chip, Xander, and her sister were acting stranger than usual, but she paid no attention to it. When she heard the roar of a motorcycle coming from outside the shop, she grinned and looked at the clock. It was nearly time for Nick's shift. Although Maddy would never admit it to anyone except maybe her sister, she had a huge crush on Nick.

"_Why don't you just tell him then?" Vida had asked Maddy upon hearing her sister's confession._

"_Yeah, right sis. I'm just gonna waltz up to Nick and say, 'Hey, how are you? By the way, I have an enormous crush on you and just thought you should know.' Are you nuts?"_

"_Maybe, but I'm not the one with the crush on Nick," teased Vida. Maddy groaned and slammed a pillow over her face._

The bell over the door tinged, shaking Maddy out of her reverie. She looked up from her spot behind the register to see Nick walking in the store.

"Hey," said Nick, as he walked in and pulled on his purple Rock Porium work shirt.

"Hey. You ready for Christmas?" asked Maddie.

"The holiday itself, yeah. I can't wait to spend it with my parents. Am I ready for the rush that we get in here? No. And apparently, Toby's ready or Christmas, too," said Nick, pointing out the mistletoe.

"Yeah, but Toby didn't put that up there, LeeLee did."

"LeeLee did? That's interesting," Nick mused.

As Nick and Maddy continued to talk, Chip, LeeLee, Vida and Xander all caught each other's eyes and nodded towards the front: Nick was there for work, and it was time to put their plan into action.

About a half hour later, Chip and Xander looked at Vida and LeeLee, who nodded, saying it was time or those two to kick start the plan. Chip walked up to Maddy, while Xander went over to Nick, and both of them said the same thing: "Hey, Toby said he needs to see you in his office." This wasn't exactly true, as Toby had been out for awhile now, he had left shortly before Nick had come in for his shift, and Maddy had been in the back room. Maddy and Nick started heading towards Toby's office, Vida caught LeeLee's eye, and they both nodded. Vida quickly began walking behind her sister, and 'accidentally' brushed by her a little too roughly, making Maddy stumble forward. Nick rushed forward to catch her, putting them both under the mistletoe at the same time. Xander, Chip, Vida, and LeeLee all tried to hide their grins. So far, their plan was working out perfectly.

Nick helped Maddy stand back up, watching her. "You okay, Maddy?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine, I'll be okay," she said.

"Oh hey, look, you guys are under the mistletoe," Xander pointed out.

Madison and Nick looked up simultaneously and saw that they were under the mistletoe. They both looked at each other, not knowing what to do. Before either of them could say anything, Chip spoke up.

"So are you guys gonna follow tradition and kiss, or just stand there?" he asked.

"Oh, we don't have to," said Maddy.

"Aw, come on sis, you're no fun. Where's your Christmas spirit?" Vida said with a knowing grin.

Somehow, Maddy knew that her sister was behind this. She wasn't sure how she knew, but she did. Oh, she would get her sister back for this later.

"Maddy has Christmas spirit, she doesn't have to kiss Nick," LeeLee piped up.

Nick stood there quietly. This was his chance to do it, to show Maddy that he cared about her. "We could just kiss, you know," he said to Maddy.

"Really? I mean, because we don't have to, if you don't want to. It's just a silly little tradition, who- "Maddy was interrupted by a hand on her cheek and soft lips on hers. Shocked, she didn't respond, until she realized that Nick was kissing her, and she responded by kissing him back. The pair stood under the mistletoe with their friends standing around them, grinning and happy that they had finally gotten their two friends together.

A/N- thank you to all those who read and review!


	2. The Christmas Tree

The Christmas Tree

By Angel17712

Disclaimer: I still don't own them, I just wish so.

Maddy hummed happily to herself as she walked to work. Christmas was coming up soon, and she was extremely happy. Once she and Nick had kissed under the mistletoe, they had admitted their feelings for each other. They had gone out on several dates since then to the movies and small cafes to eat. Things had changed between the two of them, but it was definitely for the better. Maddy couldn't be happier.

As she walked into the Rock Porium, Maddy realized what day of the week it was: Sunday, and she still had yet to get a Christmas tree. Most of the lots in town were already out of trees and the one good lot in town was due to close long before Maddy's shift was over. She was never going to get a tree now. She groaned out loud and hung her head backwards. Nick and Vida walked up to her, greeting her.

"Hey, sis. Ready for another day of work?" asked Vida. Vida had to work on Sunday as well, but Nick was the only one of them who didn't have to.

"Ugh, no. I can't believe I forgot to get one," said Maddy.

"Get one what?" asked Nick.

"Every year since I started working, I've gone and gotten a Christmas tree from one of the tree lots to put up. And now I can't go get a tree because most of the lots are out of trees already and the one lot that I know is still open is closing tonight," Maddy explained. "And I can't get there before my shift is over. What am I gonna do guys?"

"I'm sure you'll come up with something," Nick said soothingly, taking his girlfriend into his arms and kissing her on the forehead. Even as he did this, the wheels in his head started turning. He knew exactly what he was going to do. He would get a Christmas tree and surprise Maddy with it.

He and Maddy broke apart, and Maddy pulled on her Rock Porium work shirt. "All right, I'm gonna go clock in and I'll be right back," said Maddy. As soon as Maddy was out of earshot, Nick turned to Vida. "I have an idea. I'm gonna go buy a Christmas tree and surprise Maddy with it, but you have to promise me that you won't say a word to her about it."

Vida grinned. "No, never. Are you going to need any help?"

"I might. I'll let you know if I do," Nick said. Just as he said this, Maddy came out from the back room, having clocked in for work.

"Well, I have a few errands to run, so I'll see you later, Maddy?" asked Nick. Maddy still looked upset. Would she be surprised when she found out!

"Yeah, sure. Have fun," said Maddy as she kissed Nick goodbye. The one thing that she had wanted to make sure that she had for Christmas, she was going to get it. Nick walked out of the Rock Porium and mounted his motorcycle, with one task in mind: to get a Christmas tree to surprise Maddy.

* * *

About an hour later, Nick was at Rootcore. It hadn't been easy trying to select a Christmas tree, but he finally found one that was just right. He paid for it and the price to have it transported. He had someone that had a truck put it in the back of their truck and had them follow him until he reached the edge of the woods. The person helped him unload the tree, all the while looking at Nick as though he were insane. Nick just shrugged it off and waited until they had left, then levitated the tree all the way to Rootcore, using his wand. He finally got it in Rootcore and set it up near a corner so it could still be worked on. Now Nick stood looking at the tree, wondering what he should do next. He couldn't very well just surprise Madison with a tree that had no decorations on it, it had to be decorated. Then it came to him: he could have Vida, Chip, Xander, LeeLee, and his parents help him with decorating it. He'd be finished in no time at all. He pulled out his wand and made a few quick calls to his friends, hoping that they would help him out, but not alert Maddy as to what was going on. 

Ten minutes later, Vida, Chip and Xander entered Rootcore, ready to help. They had brought Christmas lights and some of Maddy's favorite Christmas ornaments to put on the tree, just as he had requested.

"Thank you so much, you guys. You're awesome," said Nick.

"Yeah, we know," said Xander. Vida rolled her eyes at this, tempted to punch him, but opted to begin stringing the lights on the tree with Chip's help. After they had been working for ten minutes, LeeLee finally came to help.

"What took you so long, LeeLee? I've actually had to work over here instead of supervise. That's not a good thing, you know," whined Xander.

"Aww, poor baby. Can it!" said Vida. "We're doing this for Maddy as a surprise. We don't need to hear you whining about how you actually have to do some work." Chip watched the exchange, laughing to himself. Vida's snarky comments were just one of the many things that had made him fall for her.

"So, why did it take you so long to get here, LeeLee?" Chip asked, trying to change the subject in order to avoid a fight between his two friends.

"Well, I was trying to leave to come here so I could help you guys decorate and all, and Maddy managed to catch me just as I was leaving. She started asking me all of these questions. It took me, like forever, to figure out how to answer them without giving everything away. Someone should go back to make sure that she stays there until we're all done here," said LeeLee.

"I'll go," Xander volunteered.

"Oh no, you will not, Xander Bly," said Vida, catching the back of his shirt before he could run off. "You can stay here and decorate, while I go back to the Rock Porium."

"But- " Before Xander could say another word, Vida had stalked off, meaning every word of what she had said. The others just laughed as Xander stood there with a dumbfounded look on his face.

"I can't believe that she just did that. Can you believe that she just did that?" Xander asked, pointing in the direction where Vida had walked off. He turned and started to sit down in a nearby chair.

"Yeah, I can. It's not the end of the world. Vida was just being Vida," said Nick.

"And don't even think about sitting down," said Chip. "We're not done yet with the tree, and I have no problem with telling V that you decided to sit instead of work."

Xander contemplated his choices. He could either work or he could have his limbs get rearranged, courtesy of Vida. He chose the former and started hanging ornaments on the tree. LeeLee pulled out another cluster of mistletoe and stood looking for the best place from which to hang it.

"Not another one!" said Xander. At hearing this, everyone's gaze followed Xander's until all of their eyes came to rest upon LeeLee, who was standing there looking at them.

"What?" asked LeeLee.

"It's nothing, LeeLee. Xander is just being Xander. Just hang it up somewhere," said Nick. "And you," he said pointedly to Xander, "need to cut it out. It's just mistletoe, there's nothing wrong with it."

"So says the guy who's dating the girl he's had feelings for forever because of mistletoe," Xander retorted.

Nick blushed. Ever since he and Madison had kissed under the mistletoe, they had indeed been seeing each other. He was glad that they had both been honest with themselves about how they felt for the other. "Yeah, I know, man. Don't worry, you'll get a chance to kiss a girl under the mistletoe soon enough," Nick teased.

"Who's to say I want to kiss a girl under the mistletoe? That's the silliest tradition I've ever heard of," Xander said.

"Who's to say you don't? Maybe the reason you're being like this is because there's a girl that you want to kiss under the mistletoe, but you just haven't had the chance to kiss her yet," teased Chip. At hearing this, Xander blushed a deep red.

"Ooh, he does have someone that he wants to kiss under the mistletoe," teased LeeLee, from her spot atop the ladder. "So tell us, who is it?"

Xander blushed even harder still. Before he could be forced to come up with an answer or interrogated until the end of never, Udonna and Lianbow walked in.

"Hello, everyone. I see that you're all decorating for Christmas," said Udonna.

"Yeah. Maddy normally buys a Christmas tree every Christmas, but this year, she hadn't gotten one yet and all the tree lots will be closed down by the time she gets finished working," Nick explained. "So since it's my day off, I decided to surprise her and I went and got a tree; we just have to finish decorating it."

"That was nice of you, son. I'm sure Madison will love it," said Lianbow, as he began helping put ornaments on the tree.

"Thanks, Dad. Is that mistletoe up there yet, LeeLee?" asked Nick.

"It'd be up here if I could get it to stick. It just won't stay up for some reason," grumbled LeeLee.

"Here, let me help you," said Udonna. She took her wand out and with a wave, the mistletoe was stuck in place. Xander rolled his eyes.

"Thank you! Well that's done. Do you need anything else to be done?" LeeLee asked Nick.

Nick looked at where the mistletoe was hung. It was in a perfect spot. "No, I think we're good. We're almost done over here. Why don't you go back to work at the Rock Porium? I'm sure Madison's driving Vida crazy with all sorts of questions," Nick laughed.

"Okay, I'll see you guys in a little while then," said LeeLee as she left.

Everyone said farewells after her. Another ten minutes later, Nick dusted his hands off and stepped back in order to survey what all had been done. The Christmas tree was now beautifully decorated with lights and ornaments, the mistletoe was hanging, and there were even strands of garland and lights hanging throughout Rootcore. He nodded in approval, happy that he had managed to pull all of this together for Maddy. "Thanks everyone. I couldn't have done this without your help."

"It was no problem, was it, Xander?" asked Chip with a glint in his eyes.

"Nope, none, no problem at all. I just had to work for once or have my limbs rearranged," Xander grumbled.

"All right. Well, what do you say we go get Maddy and bring her back here so we can surprise her with all of this?" asked Nick. The other guys agreed, and just a few minutes later, he, Chip, and Xander were headed towards the Rock Porium.

* * *

"Guys, I can't see where I'm going. Can I get some help please?" asked a blindfolded Madison. She had been blindfolded before the whole group had even left the Rock Porium. During the entire walk there, she had asked them what seemed like every question someone in her position she could ask. 

Nick took one of her hands in his. "Is that better?"

Maddy knew instantly that it was Nick who had taken her hand before he had even spoken. "Yes, thank you. Are we wherever we're supposed to be yet?"

"Almost, sis. I forgot that you didn't like surprises," teased Vida.

"You know darn well that I don't care for surprises," retorted Madison. If looks could kill and if Vida could see the look on Maddy's face, Vida would be dead.

"Okay, right there," Nick said as he positioned Maddy so she was standing directly in front of the Christmas tree. He moved behind her so he could remove the blindfold. "You ready?"

"Yes," she replied. He undid the blindfold, careful not to catch any of her hair.

"Open your eyes," said Nick.

Maddy opened her eyes and gasped. In front of her was a Christmas tree. Scratch that, it was a decorated Christmas tree. Maddy walked all around it, looking at the lights and the ornaments hanging from the branches. "When, how, who?"

"Well, Nick was the one who had the idea to surprise you with it," Chip informed her. "We all just helped out and did it while you were working."

Maddy couldn't help but smile as she continued to look around Rootcore. There were other decorations here and there and what looked like mistletoe hanging from the ceiling. "You did all this, for me?" said Maddy.

Nick nodded as he walked towards her. "Merry Christmas, Madison."

"Merry Christmas, Nick. Thank you," she said as she hugged him. She pulled back and kissed him gently on the lips, happy that she had gotten her Christmas tree just like she wanted.

A/N- thank you again to all those who read and review! There will most likely be another chapter after this one! grins


	3. Maddy's Revenge

Maddy's Revenge

By Angel17712

Disclaimer: I still don't own them, I want them for Christmas though. Hehe!

Much thanks to Pink-Green-White-4ever for her help! You're awesome!

Vida stopped spinning the discs on her DJ tables to look around her. The Rock Porium was all decorated for Christmas. Toby had allowed LeeLee to decorate, and decorate she had. There were multicolored lights entwined with strands of garland hanging from the ceiling, and a Christmas tree had been set up in a corner, decorated with lights and ornaments. Vida sighed. Christmas was coming up, and her sister was happily with Nick. 'Now if only I could find someone to spend Christmas with,' Vida mused. Chip bounded onto the stage, knocking Vida out of her thoughts.

"Hey, V. What're you doing?" asked Chip. 'Why does she look so sad

"Hello to you too. Nothing much. Just sitting back here DJing and thinking about everything," said Vida looking at her sister and Nick, who were standing by each other and whispering. "If he hurts her, I'll kill him."

Chip laughed. "I don't think he'd ever hurt Maddy, Vida. I don't think that there's anyone who would ever consider pissing you off."

Vida laughed, the sound music to Chip's ears. "Yeah, you're probably right about that." Chip and Vida both laughed together, Chip wondering how and when he had fallen so hard for the Pink Ranger.

* * *

Nick and Maddy stood together by the counter, talking to each other. "So what do you want for Christmas?" asked Maddy.

"I don't know, I already have everything that I could ever want," said Nick. He cupped Madison's cheek with his hand and pulled her in for a kiss. Maddy wrapped her arms around his neck when she felt her knees getting shaky. After several minutes, they pulled apart for air, and Maddy rested her forehead against Nick's.

"Seriously, what do you want for Christmas?" Madison murmured.

"I am being serious, Maddy," said Nick, as he pulled back to look into her eyes. "I have the best girlfriend a guy could ever want or hope for, and I found my real parents."

At hearing Nick say that about her, Maddy's eyes started to tear up and she lowered her head so Nick wouldn't see. Unfortunately, she had done so one second too late. Nick took one of his hands and raised her chin so he could look into her eyes. His heart broke when he saw the tears at the corners of her eyes that threatened to spill. He held her face in his hands and wiped the tears away with his thumbs.

"Please don't cry, Maddy. I can't stand to see you cry. What's wrong? You can tell me," he said softly.

Maddy shook her head. "You'll just think I'm being silly. You'll laugh at me."

"I would never think that about you, Maddy. And I would never laugh at you. Please tell me," he pleaded with her.

Madison took a deep breath. "I feel like I'm dreaming, about you and me being together. I feel like I'm going wake up and find out that none of this ever happened, and I don't want that to happen."

Nick smiled. "You're not dreaming, but if you are, then I must be too, because I know I never want to wake up. Come on, let's wipe those tears away. Vida's going to think that I've hurt you and she'll want to kill me."

Madison looked over Nick's shoulder to see Chip holding Vida by the shoulders. She laughed and dried her eyes. "Yeah, you're right."

* * *

Chip and Vida continued to laugh. Vida looked over at her sister and Nick, seeing them in a close embrace. She stopped laughing and smiled. Maybe one day she would find someone that she could be like that with. Chip followed Vida's gaze to Nick and Madison, knowing what the Pink Ranger was thinking.

"Don't worry, I'm sure you'll find a guy to be close like that with," said Chip. 'Like me,' he thought, never once saying it aloud for the fear that Vida might laugh at him. Vida looked at Chip and caught him looking at her. Both blushed and quickly averted their eyes from the other. Vida found herself looking at her sister and Nick again. Nick was holding Madison, and Madison was… crying? Vida immediately began to rush forward, but was stopped by a pair of hands on her shoulders.

They were Chip's hands. "Hold it, V. Don't go rushing to kill Nick just yet. You don't even know why Madison is crying. Maybe it was just an accident or something."

Vida snorted. "I don't care what it was, he hurt Maddy! Now, let me go, Chip!"

"Sorry, Vida, I can't do that." Chip looked over at Nick and Maddy to see them talking and smiling. "Look over there. See? Everything's fine."

Vida looked over Chip's shoulder to see that Maddy wasn't crying anymore, she was laughing and smiling. "I guess you're right. But if he hurts her-

"I know. You'll rearrange his limbs. He won't hurt her, Vida," said Chip strongly. 'Just like I would never hurt you if you gave me a chance.'

Vida moved forward and pulled Chip in for a hug. "Thanks, Chip. You're a good friend." Vida was surprised at how well she fit in Chip's arms, almost like she was supposed to be in them like this. 'Stop it, Vida, you're imagining things. You and Chip are just friends, you shouldn't think about him like that. He would never think that way about you,' she thought.

* * *

Madison reveled in being in Nick's arms. She stood on her tiptoes and looked over Nick's shoulder. "Hey, look at Vida and Chip."

Nick reluctantly released Madison to look at Vida and Chip, who were standing on the stage in a close embrace. "They look good together," he said.

When Nick said that, a wicked grin spread across Madison's features and a plan began to formulate in her mind. Nick turned around to see what Madison was looking at: Chip and Vida on the DJ table stage, the two of them hugging. Nick took one look at Madison's face and knew exactly what she was thinking. "Oh no, you're not going to do what I think you're going to do, are you?"

Maddy's face took on a mixed look of devilishness and innocence. "What makes you think I'm up to something?"

"Let's see. You have this look on your face that tells me that you're up to something, something that you wouldn't normally do; then there's the fact that you said you would get back at Vida for scheming with LeeLee and the others. You looked at Chip and Vida, then you looked at the mistletoe, which makes me think that you're planning something. Need I say more?" said Nick, as he ticked off his reasons on his fingers.

Maddy knew when she was caught. "All right, you caught me. Yes, I'm going to get those two under the mistletoe, just like V did to me. Maybe then she'll be happy too." Maddy suddenly looked wistful, then her face lit up. "Help me?"

"And risk Vida wanting to kill me? As much as I love you, I'd rather not," said Nick.

Maddy pouted and put her arms around Nick to hug him. It suddenly hit her what she could do to get Nick to help her.

"I'll make it worth your while," she whispered huskily, using her lips to find that one spot on his neck where she knew he was most vulnerable. Nick groaned, knowing that Maddy had him right where she wanted him.

"All right, you win this time," he whispered into her ear. Madison cheered, knowing that she would have to cash in on her promise later. Now all she had to do was get LeeLee's help and she could set her plan into action.

Twenty minutes later, Madison had explained and acquired LeeLee's help with her plan. The formerly evil girl was only too happy to help Madison with her plans in getting Vida and Chip together. Nick was going to mop the floor right under the mistletoe, "accidentally" leaving it a little too wet. LeeLee would tell Vida that Chip needed to talk to her, and Madison was going to tell the same to Chip. Maddy crossed her fingers and hoped that this would work. "You ready?" Madison asked Nick and LeeLee. Both nodded, knowing what their parts of the plan were.

Nick began to mop the floor, knowing that it was one of his things that he had to do when he was at work. He moved closer and closer to the mistletoe, watching as Madison and LeeLee both moved to take care of their parts of the plan.

LeeLee walked over to the DJ stage and jumped up onto it. Vida was in the groove, as per usual of her. LeeLee rolled her eyes as she tapped on Vida's shoulder, trying to get her friend's attention. Vida waved a hand, signaling to LeeLee to hang on. Vida might also be mad when she found out that they had plotted against her, but hopefully she would be happy. Anyone and everyone could see that she and Chip liked each other; Vida was just being her usual stubborn self and not wanting to acknowledge how she really felt. The mistletoe would do the trick, though, it had to. Then Vida could finally stop dancing around how she felt for Chip and be honest with herself. A few seconds later, Vida pulled off her headphones and focused her attention on LeeLee. "Hey, what's up?"

"I think Toby needs to talk to you," said LeeLee innocently. Toby didn't really need to talk to Vida, it was just part of the plan.

Vida looked at LeeLee oddly, then shrugged her shoulders and headed towards the office, not knowing that she was falling directly into her sister's meticulously planned trap. At the same time, Madison was at the other end of the store, talking animatedly to Chip. Chip nodded his head and began walking towards Toby's office as well, but not before stopping to rearrange some CD's that hadn't been put back properly.

Vida was striding towards Toby's office, not paying attention to where she was going or making sure that the floor was dry before she stepped. When she was only several feet away from Toby's office, she stepped on the water that Nick had 'accidentally' left on the floor. Madison, although she already knew what was going to happen, pretended as though she did not and yelled "Chip, behind you!"

Chip heard Madison's yell and instinctively turned around to see Vida about to fall the floor. He rushed forward and just barely managed to catch her in his arms. He braced his feet on the linoleum floor so he could handle Vida's weight as he caught her. As she fell, he positioned one arm so it would support her back and the other for her head. Vida's body met his hands and he faltered a bit, but caught himself before they both tumbled to the floor.

Vida's eyes met Chip's in shock, considering that she had previously thought that she was going to have been caused utter humiliation because of her stupidity. She was unsure as to what to say to him. "Th-Thanks," Vida stuttered.

Chip smiled down at her warmly. "You're welcome, V. Anytime."

When Chip realized that he was still holding onto Vida, he cleared his throat and cautiously began standing so as not to make them fall. He stood up and Vida straighten her self out. Madison looked up at the ceiling and pointed. "Look who's under the mistletoe," she said innocently.

Chip and Vida both looked up simultaneously. Sure enough, there was the same mistletoe that Nick and Maddy had gotten caught under not too long ago. Vida looked at her sister's and Leelee's faces and realized that she had been set up. She shot them both glares that if looks could kill, they'd be dead. She groaned under her breath, trying to best figure out how to get out of having to kiss Chip; kissing Chip would mean acknowledging how she felt about him, and that thought above all else terrified her to no end.

"Well, kiss already, you two! We don't have all day, we have get to back to work sometime," said Leelee.

"She's right, you know; I don't think that either Leelee or Madison are going to let either of you move until you kiss. It's not that bad, I should know," said Nick, standing behind his Maddy and wrapping his arms around her waist.

Madison leaned back into his touch and continued to goad her sister. "He's right too; it's not that bad. Just do it already! Or are you to chicken to do it, V?" said Maddy, as she taunted her sister. Madison knew full well that both of the Rangers standing under the mistletoe right now had feelings for the other, they just wouldn't admit to each other, or anyone else for that matter.

Vida knew that Madison was right: she was scared. She was scared of what would happen when and if she and Chip did kiss under the mistletoe. She knew that it would change everything between them, and that was scared her the most. Vida's eyes met Chip's again, and as she looked into his eyes, she saw that he was scared too, but not as badly as she was. 'Oh, great! Now I really don't know what to do!'

"We don't have to kiss under the mistletoe, it's not a big deal or anything," said Vida.

When Chip's eyes met Vida's, he saw in her eyes that she was scared as well, but there was one big difference between the two of them: he actually wanted to kiss Vida more than anything, and she was trying to get out of it. That thought somehow hurt more than anything else had ever hurt him. Being a Ranger, getting those bumps and bruises, those things were nothing compared to this. He could practically feel his heart shatter, until Leelee said something.

"Sure it is, Vida," said LeeLee with a grin on her face. "Nick and Madison did it, you guys can do it too. It's not the end of the world. Just kiss already, and you're done!" said LeeLee.

When he heard Leelee's words, he got a rush of both adrenaline and bravery. He came up with an idea. "Hey, V?"

Vida turned toward her best friend that she now had feelings for. "Yeah?"

"Do something for me? Close your eyes," said Chip softly. When Vida started to protest, he said "Nothing bad is going to happen to you, I promise."

Vida did as he had asked, standing there, waiting for something to happen. Chip put one hand on Vida's face with a feather light touch, and he moved his lips closer to Vida's… and he kissed her.

To say that Vida was shocked was putting it mildly. At first, she wanted to push him away and ask him why he had kissed her. Then she realized that this was what she had wanted, but wouldn't say anything about it. She kissed him back, feeling how much he wanted her through their kiss. When they broke apart for air after a few minutes, they both were breathing shakily.

"What just happened?" asked Vida quietly.

"I just kissed you under the mistletoe and you decided to kiss me back," Chip whispered back to her.

"Oh, ok," was all Vida could think of to say at the moment.

Chip laughed. There was another reason why he loved Vida, some of the things that she said. "I love you, Vida. Merry Christmas."

Vida bit her lip. This was the moment of truth. Should she be honest and tell him, or pretend that none of that ever happened? She chose the former and gathered her courage for what she was about to say. "I love you too, Chip. Same to you."

Madison smiled happily, knowing that she had not only gotten her revenge on Vida, but she had also accomplished her mission. Vida and Chip were together, or they would be, now that they had been honest with each other.

AN: Thanks to all those who reviewed before! Keep reviewing and this'll keep coming as long as I can come up with ideas! grins


	4. Keeping Promises

Keeping Promises

Author- angel17712

Date: 12/18/06; Finished- 12/22/06

Mistletoe chapter 4

Disclaimer: I am in no way affiliated with the show or its characters. I am doing this purely because I want to; I am not making any money because of this.

A/n- this chapter is dedicated to Pink-Green-White-4ever! Hehehe. Thank you to all those of you who have reviewed! Enjoy!

Maddy lounged in a chair at work with a grin on her face. Her plan had worked- she had gotten Chip and V under the mistletoe. Now, not only was Madison happy, but V was too. Chip and Vida had started dating each other after kissing under the mistletoe. Yup, everyone was happy. _'Well, almost everyone. Xander's still moping. Maybe I can fix that,'_ Madison grinned outwardly. She knew that she could get Vida, Chip and Leelee to help in getting Xander together with Clare. Everyone could see that he had feelings for the new sorceress of Rootcore. The only problem would be trying to get Nick's help. She still had to "pay him back" for the last plan that he had helped out with. Madison grinned at the thought of Nick. It was because of the mistletoe that they were also together. Her eyes fell on the handsome Red ranger that was working nearby.

Nick felt someone looking at him. He turned around, looking for the person, seeing that said person that had been looking at him was Madison. He flashed her one of his trademark grins, which made her blush and smile back. It was hard for Nick to believe that he and Madison had already been dating for two weeks. He had fallen hard for her, and he didn't plan on getting up anytime soon.

Madison was busy thinking of ways that she could make it up to Nick when he walked over to her.

"Hey," Nick greeted as he gave a quick kiss on the lips.

Madison felt her knees start to go weak and was immediately grateful that she was sitting down. "Hey, yourself. What are you doing over here?"

"Saying hi to the best girlfriend a guy could have. Is that ok?" he teased.

Madison grinned. She loved the banter that they shared now as a result of their relationship. "Yes, that is perfectly okay, so long as said guy's boss doesn't catch him." Her mind was still on how she could make it up to him. The idea came to her and she wondered why she didn't think of it before. In less than a minute, she quickly had it all formulated and planned out in her mind. "I have a way to make it up to you," Maddy whispered huskily in his ear.

Nick shivered from the contact of her breath on his ear. "You do, huh?"

"Yup. Meet me at the tree across the street at 6 P.M. Don't be late," she whispered as she walked away.

Nick watched Madison as she walked away from him and began cleaning. He looked at the clock and saw that it was 4:00 p.m. now. His shift was over at five. That gave him enough time to go back to Rootcore and get ready. He sighed as he got back up and went back to work. Five o' clock couldn't get there any sooner.

* * *

Five o' clock didn't come any sooner. It seemed like looking at the clock every two seconds only made time slow down even more, if that was at all possible. Nick clocked out and grabbed his things from the back room, eager to head home and get ready. He said goodbye to his friends as he left work and rode towards Rootcore. After he had found out that Udonna and Lianbow were his real parents, he had moved in with them after informing his adoptive parents of what had happened. His mind was so preoccupied of his thoughts that he reached Rootcore in a short time. He dismounted and parked his bike outside of the entrance, entering Rootcore at a brisk pace. He entered his room and shut the door behind him as he pulled off his jacket. He put his jacket on the back of his desk chair, his eyes catching the pictures he had placed on his nightstand. There were three that resided there. The first was one of himself and the rest of the team in their uniforms at Rootcore. The second one was one of him and his real parents, and the third was one of him and Maddy. It had been taken by a photographer who had been taking random pictures. Madison and Nick were sitting by a tree, Madison leaning into Nick, with his back resting on the tree, their faces close to each others. The photographer had taken the picture and had approached Nick, telling him what had happened and asked if he wanted it. They switched contact information and a few days later, the picture had arrived as promised. Nick put the photograph down, remembering that he needed to get ready to meet Madison. He couldn't wait to see what she had planned.

----------

Madison looked at what she had put together for herself and Nick. She had made a few changes and once she had been satisfied, she had rushed home to get dressed. She was now wearing blue jeans, a blue shirt with a red jacket, and white tennis shoes adorning her feet and her hair down. She looked over everything one last time and decided that it was perfect. If she didn't leave now, she would be late to meet Nick.

Nick had arrived at the tree across the street from the record shop a few minutes earlier than he had planned. He had visited a street vendor and bought a bouquet of red roses for her. He parked his bike and sat astride it, waiting for Madison. _'Where is she? I can't wait to see what she has planned.' _He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't hear the footsteps come up behind him until it was too late. A pair of hands was over his eyes before he could react, and a feminine voice said "Guess who."

Madison got to the tree right at six, just as she had said. Nick was already there, his back turned and waiting for her to arrive. He was dressed in blue jeans as well, with a red shirt and his black jacket, casual shoes on his feet. She decided to play a little game with him and walked up behind him quietly, putting her hands over his eyes and saying "Guess who?"

Nick didn't need to guess in order to know whose hands these were. They belonged to Maddy. He grinned, deciding to go along with her game. "Let's see, are you Chip?" Nick teased.

Maddy tried to stifle her laughter and found it difficult to do. "Nope, try again."

Nick reached up and grabbed her hands before she could do anything, pulling her in for a sweet, long kiss. She kissed him back greedily, letting him know that she had missed him. He pulled back and looked at her. "Nope, you definitely aren't Chip. Might you happen to be the girlfriend that I bought these roses for?" he said as he pulled them out to give her.

Madison let out a gasp of surprise and took the roses from him, inhaling their sweet scent. She loved roses. "How did you know that these are my favorite?"

"Well, they're red. It was a lucky guess," he replied.

"Vida told you, didn't she?" inquired Madison.

Nick nodded his head. "She told me that they were your favorite. I chose the color. Do you like them?"

"They're beautiful, thank you." She gave him a kiss on the cheek and returned the roses to the bag that was on the back of his bike. "So, are you ready to go?"

"Absolutely." He handed her his spare helmet while he put on his own. "Where are we headed?"

"Just head to the woods, the way we got there the first time we went there. I'll tell you where to go once we get there," she responded as she put on the helmet and climbed on.

"All right. Hang on," he told her as they took off. She held onto his waist tightly, but not so tight to where he wouldn't be able to breathe. _'I hope that he likes everything that I did for tonight.' _They rode mostly in silence, both of them absorbed in their own thoughts of different things. When they arrived at the clearing before the woods, Nick shut the motor off and put the kickstand down. "Where to now?" he inquired as they both pulled off their helmets.

"Just follow me," she replied secretively. Nick dismounted from his bike and caught up to her, putting her hand in his once he did. She walked through the woods with a smile on her lips, one that spoke of secrets.

"So, what do you have planned for tonight?" Nick asked.

Maddy shook her head. "I'm not saying a word. You'll have to wait until we get there. I'm sure you can do that, right?" she teased him suggestively.

Nick stopped walking, causing her to stop and look at him curiously. "What is it?"

Without a word, Nick pulled Maddy's face towards his for a kiss that had Maddy breathless. They broke apart, both heaving for air. Nick started making a trail of kisses that led from Madison's face to her neck. "Will…you…tell me…now?" he asked in between kisses and nips on her neck.

Her moans only encouraged him to continue his ministrations. She knew what he wanted, but she wasn't going to give in. She pulled back and grinned at him. "Nope. Now, come on." She grabbed his hand and tugged on it gently.

Nick followed her grudgingly. After another few minutes of walking, it was Maddy's turn to stop them. She turned towards him, her eyes twinkling. "Do something for me, please?"

"What?" he asked.

"Let me cover your eyes till we get there. I'll help you with the walking; you won't get hurt, I promise," she told him.

He regarded her for a second, then acquiesced to her favor, choosing to trust her. She gently placed her hands over his eyes and they began to walk awkwardly the rest of the way toward their destination. There were a few times when he thought he would trip and fall, but it never happened.

When they came to a clearing, Maddy removed her hands from Nick's eyes to find them closed. "You can open your eyes, we're here."

He opened his eyes to see a beautiful sight before him. In the middle of the clearing a dinner scene awaited them. Two chairs accompanied a table, with had been adorned with a dark red tablecloth. Candles gave off an ethereal glow to the area, which would give them light to see with once the sun went down. Soft instrumental music filled the air. He looked at Madison, who was biting her lip out of nervous habit. "What do you think?" she asked.

"It's wonderful, Maddy. Thank you." He pressed a soft kiss to her lips. "Let's eat, hmm? I'm starving."

She nodded her head and moved to pull out her chair before Nick's hand stopped her. "Let me," he told her. He pulled out her chair and pushed it back in once she sat down. He seated himself in the chair next to hers. "The food smells delicious."

Maddy smiled as she removed the lid from a pan that was on the table. "It's spaghetti. The recipe is one that's been in the family for a long time," she responded as she served them both some of the mouth-watering food.

Nick placed a piece of bread on his own plate as he listened to her talk. "Do you want some bread?" he asked, holding out the plate to her.

"Sure," she answered. For a few moments, the only sounds that could be heard were the clinks of silverware on plates and the background music. Nick took a bite of the spaghetti, finding that it was as delicious as it smelled. "It's good, isn't it?"

"Yeah, it is. Thanks, Maddy. You didn't have to do all of this," he told her.

"I know, but I wanted to. Besides, I promised I would pay you back for helping me, and I always keep my promises."

They both continued to eat for several minutes, talking about work and other various things. Nick looked at Maddy and saw that some sauce was on her chin. He didn't know how to tell her.

"Umm, Maddy, you kinda have some sauce on your chin," he pointed out.

"Oh." She picked up her napkin and wiped at her chin, thinking she had rubbed it off. Nick shook his head and reached over with his own napkin and wiped it off gently. Maddy smiled her thanks at him, grateful for the help.

After several more moments, they were both full from eating. An idea came to Nick. He stood up, pushed his chair in and held a hand out to Maddy. "Want to dance?" he asked.

"I'd love to," she grinned. She placed her hand in his and let him pull her into his embrace. They swayed from side to side, listening to Where Are You Christmas by Faith Hill play on the radio. It wasn't long before Maddy was humming along with the song, blissfully content. She looked up at Nick to see him smiling at her. "So, you liked it?"

"I loved it. I wouldn't have been anywhere else tonight but here you," he admonished. She smiled and put her head on his chest, noting how well they fit together. "Merry Christmas, Maddy."

She nodded, knowing that she wouldn't have been anywhere else tonight but here with Nick, either.


	5. The craziness of mistletoe

Getting together

Author: angel17712

Date: 12/22/06

Chapter 5 of Mistletoe

Xander sat in the red chair at the back of the Rock Porium, watching the few people who were in the store. Chip and Vida were restocking shelves and laughing with each other. Nick and Maddy were playing kissy-face. Even Leelee was humming happily to herself. _'Why can't everything just go back to the way it was? It was all fine then. Everything's gotten so messed up because of that blasted mistletoe.' _He glared up at the mistletoe that hung cheerily from the ceiling. Yes, everything had definitely changed because of that decoration, whether it was real or fake. Chip and Vida were together, as were Nick and Maddy. Any couples that came into the store were informed that they had to kiss underneath it. He hadn't even managed to get one girl under it to kiss. With one girl, who he did manage to get close enough to kiss, she saw the mistletoe just in time and ran off, making Xander nearly kiss the wall. There was one girl, actually, that he really wanted to kiss, but he wasn't sure how to approach it. For a while now, he'd had feelings for her, but they were steadily growing from the big brother sort to something he couldn't quite put his finger on. What made it even harder was that she was no longer a bumbling apprentice but rather a gifted sorceress. _'I need to get rid of the mistletoe. Then people might quit kissing themselves silly here. Maybe I can find something that will help me at Rootcore.' _With that thought in mind, he bounced up and headed out the door, intent on getting rid of the mistletoe that was being a pain.

* * *

Nick finally broke the kiss that had been ongoing between himself and his girlfriend. Maddy rested her head on his shoulder and they stood there until Nick chose to say something.

"I never thought that I could be this happy with someone. I love you, Maddy," he told her, kissing her head. She smiled, looking around the shop as far as she could, until her eyes fell on Xander.

"Everyone's happy except for Xander. He's just sitting over there, being all mopey," Madison pointed out. Nick turned to look at Xander, and their friend in green did look miserable.

"But what can we do about it?"

Maddy grew thoughtful, and then an idea came to her. "V! Chip! Come here, you guys!"

Vida and Chip left the rest of the merchandise by the wall and bounded over to their friends. "What's up?" Chip asked.

"Xander, look at him," pointed Maddy. "He's been doing that for awhile, and we were hoping to cheer him up. I thought that you guys might have some ideas."

Vida and Chip both looked thoughtful, until Chip looked as though he usually did when something struck him. "I think I might have an idea."

"What, what is it?" Vida inquired.

"Xander's gonna kill me for telling you guys this. Anyhow, awhile back, Xander and I were talking, and he mentioned something to me about how he thinks he might like Clare," Chip told them.

"Really? Xander thinks that he might like Clare?" asked Nick.

"Yeah, why?" Chip responded.

"Well, it's just that for awhile now, Vida and I have been noticing how Clare sometimes looks at Xander. I think she likes him, too," Maddy informed them.

"Okay, so we know that Xander thinks he might like Clare, and we're not sure, but we think that Clare might like Xander too. So what do we do now that we have this information?" asked Nick.

An evil grin formed on Maddy's face that quickly caught the attention of her sister. "What are you thinking, sis?" Vida wanted to know.

Maddy gave no verbal response; she merely turned and looked at the mistletoe that looked down on them. Everyone followed her gaze and instantly, they knew what she was thinking.

"Oh no, you're not seriously thinking that. You aren't, are you?" asked Nick.

"Why not? It's perfect. It'll solve Xander's little problem of wanting to get kissed, and we can find out how they both feel. It's a win-win situation," Chip explained, having worked it out already.

"But how are we going to do that? There's only mistletoe here, and Clare rarely leaves Rootcore," Nick said.

"You're forgetting one thing: I put up mistletoe at Rootcore, remember? When we were putting up Maddy's Christmas tree?" Leelee piped up. They turned to look at her, and she looked a little sheepish. "Sorry guys, I couldn't help but overhear. So who are you plotting to get together this time? Need any help?"

"It's okay, Leelee," Vida told her friend. "We're plotting to get Xander and Clare under the mistletoe, I'm sure that we could use the extra help." She looked at her friends for confirmation, all of them nodding their heads.

"Yay! Thanks! So do you guys have a plan yet?" she asked.

"We're still trying to work that out," Chip told her. They all stood there, wondering how they were going to get those two under the mistletoe. An idea popped into Leelee's head.

"Oh, I have it! I have an idea!" she exclaimed. She beckoned everyone forward and quickly told them of her plan.

* * *

Xander reached Rootcore in next to no time. He looked around, seeing that no one was there. He walked over to the bookshelf that resided on the far end of the main room. His eyes scanned the titles, hoping to find something that would help him. "Dragons, Incantations, Wand usage…Ah! Removal of Pests and things alike. Maybe this can help me."

He pulled the book out from its spot on the shelf and opened it, muttering to himself. "How… rid…of bugs…cobwebs…where's mistletoe? It must be in here somewhere." His eyes continued to read the glossary, until he came to a certain entry.

"Aha! How to get rid of plants! Thank goodness!" He pushed aside pages until he reached the section that he wanted. He read the list of ingredients, muttering them to himself. He got a piece of paper and a pen and began writing down the things he would need for this potion.

"Okay, let's do this!" Xander exclaimed as he rubbed his hands together.

* * *

A half hour later, Xander returned to Rootcore, looking somewhat worse for the wear, but elated that he had gotten everything he would need. He put his basket of ingredients down and got a cauldron, along with some wood. He set up the wood and the cauldron, then got a fire started. He walked over to the place where he had put the book to find that it wasn't there.

"I thought I put it right here." He looked around, seeing it on another nearby table.

"Ah, there you are. Can't get rid of the mistletoe without you." He picked it up, gathered the basket, and returned to the cauldron, only to find that the fire had gone out, and it had been rather strong. He pulled his wand out and waved it at the small bundle of sticks, muttering a word under his breath. Flames shot out from his wand and attacked the bundle of sticks. He sighed with relief, knowing that he was back on track. He turned around to get the book and the ingredients to find that the basket was now gone.

"Where is that bloody basket?" he said as he stood up and looked around. He found it on a small table near him and he knew that that hadn't been where he had put it. He picked up the basket, grabbed the book, and placed both items on a small table, dragging it over to where the cauldron was so he could see it at all times. He followed the directions and instructions to the letter, double-checking to make sure that he measured everything correctly. At one point, he stopped what he was doing to glare up at the mistletoe that had been hung at Rootcore. "You're gonna be—'' Xander did a double take. Hanging from various spots all over the ceiling was that blasted plant that lived to be a pain in his butt: mistletoe, mistletoe, mistletoe.

Xander closed his eyes tightly and shook his head back and forth. "I'm not seeing that, I'm not seeing that. It's all just a figment of my imagination and it'll disappear when I open my eyes." To Xander's sad disappointment, the mistletoe did not disappear when he opened his eyes. "Well, then I guess that it's a good thing that I got double of everything. I really have to get to work now, that blasted stuff is taking this place over," he told the mistletoe gleefully, as though it could hear him.

He continued working feverishly, making sure to not mess up. After several minutes, he stopped for a moment to make sure that he was doing everything correctly. When he had made sure that he was, he looked up, expecting to see dozens of mistletoe hanging. Instead, he only found the one that had been hanging in the exact same spot that it had been in when he had gotten there. He shook his head vigorously, thinking that it was another trick of the mind. However, when his eyes refocused back on the ceiling, there was still only one mistletoe. "Okay, there is something wrong here. I'm the only one here, and there was lots of mistletoe. I must be dreaming. That's it, I'm just imagining these things," he concluded.

Unbeknownst to him, he was not alone. Clare was also present, but she was currently hiding from Xander, invisible to his eyes. She was the one who had moved the book and the ingredients for the potion, she had made the fire go out, and she had also put lots of mistletoe up on the ceiling, and then made it disappear. She giggled silently to herself as she watched him work. She pondered over whether or not she would tell him the truth. _'No, I'm not going to say anything. I'll see what he says.' _When he bent down to pick up something he had dropped, Clare waved her hand, making the potion vanish into thin air.

Xander stood up after he retrieved the ingredient. When he added it to the cauldron, he was surprised to hear it hit the bottom.

"What?" He looked into the cauldron and with a jolt of shock, realized that the potion was gone. It had somehow vanished. He turned to the book, thinking that he might have added too much or too little of something and that that had made the potion disappear.

Clare decided to show herself to Xander. She walked out from her hiding place, her skirt floating behind her. "Hey, Xander. What are you doing here?" she asked. She knew why he was there, but she couldn't tell him that.

Xander jumped, having been scared by the fact that Clare was there. "C-Clare. What are you doing here?"

"I live here and work here. What are you doing here?"

Xander tried to even his breathing. "I don't know how it happened," he told her as he shook his head.

"Is everything okay?"

"Yes. No. I don't know," he moaned.

"Well, maybe I can help," she told him sweetly.

Xander flashed her a smile, thankful for her help. "I was trying to make a potion to get rid of this evil mistletoe and out of nowhere, POOF! It's gone!"

Clare smiled, knowing that she had made it disappear. "Why do you say that it's evil? And why would you want to get rid of the mistletoe anyway? It seems like it's been a good thing to have around, both here and at the record shop."

Xander snorted derisively. "Of course you would think that, you're a girl," he muttered.

Clare's face flushed at these words and she was quickly getting angry, but told herself that she needed to calm down. "Yes, but I'm not just a girl now, Xander Bly. I'm a sorceress, too." She looked at him with a wicked gleam in her eye that made chills run down his spine.

"Look, why don't you try working on this tomorrow, hmm? That way, you can go home, get some rest, and start fresh," she suggested.

Xander nodded. "I guess you're right. I am sort of tired anyway. I'll clean up here." He began putting the ingredients away, then remembered the book. "Clare, is there any way that you can put that book away?" he asked as he pointed to the book that he had been using.

"Sure, where does it go?"

"Near the top shelf on the far left. Thanks."

"It's no problem," Clare admonished. She picked up book, but instead of walking over to the bookshelf, for some reason, she chose to fly. "Levitatos Miranda!"

Instead of going up into the air and remaining airborne, Clare went up in the air several feet and was somehow propelled forward when gravity began to take effect. Xander's head came up the second he heard her spell, thinking that she had possibly mispronounced it. He saw her rise into the air and begin to fall. He dropped the ingredients that he had been holding and within just a few seconds, he was underneath her and bracing himself for the fall. She landed safely in his arms, but he had not been completely ready, and they both crashed to the floor. For a few moments, they both laid there, with her on top of him. Clare felt Xander's chest start shaking and he burst out laughing. She couldn't help herself and laughed along with him. She rolled off of him, letting him stand. He straightened himself, then took Clare's hands and helped her up.

"Thanks… for you know, saving me," she told him shyly.

"It's not a problem, I was happy to do it," he replied.

------------------------

Chip, Vida, Leelee, Nick, and Maddy walked as fast their legs would carry them to Rootcore. Their plan was formulated and well discussed. "So does everyone know what they're doing once we get in there?" Leelee asked. The others all nodded their heads in confirmation.

"Good. Let's do this again," she grinned. The group entered Rootcore to see Xander and Clare already present, and believe it or not, they were standing under the mistletoe! Maddy wanted to laugh out loud so badly. They wouldn't have to worry with a plan now; they just had to get their two friends to kiss.

"Hey you two, you're just the two people that we wanted to see," Vida told Xander and Clare.

"Oh, really?" asked Clare.

"Yeah, we needed to talk to you guys about something, but first, you might want to look up," Nick pointed above their heads.

Xander and Clare both looked up to see the mistletoe smiling down at them. He groaned inwardly. _'Well, this is just how I wanted this to happen. I have to kiss Clare now. Or not.' _

"You know, we don't really have to kiss under the mistletoe, not if you don't want to," Clare told him nervously.

"I know we don't have to," Xander shot back at her.

"Oh, yes you do. We'll do the same thing to you guys that we do to every couple who walks into the Rock Porium: if you want to be able to leave, then kiss," Maddy told them wickedly.

"You guys wouldn't do that to us, would you?" asked Xander nervously.

"I think I speak for everyone when I say yes!" Leelee exclaimed. The others nodded their heads in affirmation.

Clare bit her lip as she watched Xander argue with his friends. She really wanted to tell him how she felt about him, and she might never get another chance to express her feelings this way. She gathered her courage, preparing herself for what she was about to do.

"Xander?"

"Yeah, Clare?"

She smiled brightly. "Merry Christmas." Without another word, she put one hand at the back of his head, pulling him forward to meet her lips in a soft kiss. His eyes widened in shock at the feeling of her lips against his, and he closed his eyes, choosing instead to just go with it. After a few seconds, he pulled back and looked at Clare. Her eyes were slightly closed and her lips were somewhat swollen.

"You-You kissed me. Why?" Xander questioned.

Clare opened her eyes and smiled at him. "Because I sorta like you. Is that okay?"

Xander grinned at her. "It's more than okay. It's great. Besides, I sorta like you too."

Vida heaved a sigh a relief. "Thank god! Now Xander can quit moping around like an idiot."

Everyone laughed at that comment, knowing she was right. Xander looked up at the mistletoe, thanking it silently for what it had done.

A/N- thank you to all those who read!


	6. Sleeping under the tree

Mistletoe

Sleeping under the tree- Chapter 5

Author: angel17712

Disclaimer- I don't own them at all, but I really wish that I did.

A/N- Hello to all of my readers! Because the Christmas season is over for another year, this will be the last chapter! BUT, the ideas are already attacking me for a sequel, which will be coming out at the start of the next season, maybe even earlier! -grins- Thank you to all those who continued to read this! This is dedicated to you.

Madison groaned in frustration as she looked at the job that was before her and Nick. They had decided to wrap presents together, except for each other's. Her present to Nick was already wrapped and nestled under the tree that Nick and her friends had decorated. His present to her lay under the tree, along with presents from their friends that hadn't procrastinated and had wrapped everything beforehand. Before her laid presents in shopping bags along with tape, scissors, and wrapping paper.

Nick came up quietly behind Madison, sat behind her and startled her by putting his arms around her waist. "Why did we wait so long to do this?"

"Because we decided that other things were more important," Madison replied.

"Oh, yeah? Like what?" Nick asked as he moved his lips to her neck and began kissing the soft flesh.

She would have come up with a coherent response if she could have, but his lips were doing wonderful things to her neck that she couldn't have stopped even if she wanted to. When it became too much to take, Madison turned around and pulled his lips onto hers for a fiery kiss that left them both wanting more.

Nick ran his tongue along her bottom lip, asking for entrance. She happily obliged and opened her mouth to let his tongue begin a battle for dominance with hers. During their make-out session, they had laid down on the floor, with Nick on top of Madison. Somehow, she had reversed their positions and was now straddling him, one leg on either side of his hips. She broke away from his lips to return the torture that he had given her by kissing and biting softly at his neck. He groaned, letting her know without words that he wanted her to continue what she was doing. He didn't have to tell her though; she could feel how badly he wanted her.

When she broke away from his neck, he nearly whined out loud. "Are you trying to kill me?

"Is it working?" she asked with an impish grin on her face. Her eyes looked down at him, and he saw mischief written in them. She pushed herself off of his warm chest and sat gently on his hips. When she rolled her hips forward, he let out a low groan.

"I'll take that as a yes," she told him huskily. She leaned down and gave him a quick peck on the lips. "Come on, we have to wrap these presents. We can finish this up later."

Nick looked in her eyes and saw that she wasn't kidding around. He fully intended to take her up on her word just as she had said. She moved off of his hips and crawled over to where the unwrapped presents laid, waiting to be given away the next day on Christmas.

"Can we just use magic and get this over with?" Nick groaned. Madison could tell from the tone of his voice that he wanted to get back to what they had been doing.

"I told you already, we're going to do this by hand. It's more meaningful that way," she replied. He responded with a huff and pulled a present to Vida from himself and some wrapping paper towards himself. For several minutes, the only sounds that could be heard were the sounds of wrapping paper being cut and tape being applied. In no time at all, Madison was done, while Nick was trying to figure out how to wrap what he had gotten for Xander, which was a new skateboard.

Madison sat and watched Nick moan in frustration from trying to wrap Xander's gift. When she decided that she couldn't take it anymore, she reached over, measured the amount that she would need and cut it. Within a few minutes, she had it wrapped. "There ya go," she told him with satisfaction.

Nick scoffed. "I don't get how you can do that."

"Do what?"

"Just have a present wrapped in only a few minutes. That's not right."

"It comes with being a female," she grinned.

He smiled back at her. "Will you help me so we can be finished?"

She nodded, seeing his blatant desire in his eyes. She helped him and gave him pointers, and in no time, they had finished wrapping the rest of the presents. They put the presents under the tree and stood back to admire their work.

"It looks beautiful, all of it. Thank you, Nick," Madison whispered.

"You're beautiful. And you're welcome. I was too happy to do it," Nick responded. He wrapped his arms around her, both of them just reveling in being with each other. Nick remembered something, and began kissing Madison's neck slowly. She moaned when he sucked on the spot beneath her ear.

"We need to go to sleep sometime, Nick. It's already almost midnight, and you know that both Vida and Chip are like little kids still on Christmas morning," she told him breathlessly.

"I know, but there's no reason why we can't sleep here," he gestured to the Christmas tree.

"Here? Under the tree? You've lost your mind haven't you?" she looked at him incredulously.

"No, I haven't. Christmas is your favorite holiday, so why not spend it under the tree? We can put down a mattress and some blankets. What do you think?"

Madison smiled, touched that he was suggesting all of this. "I think it sounds great. Do you mind getting it all ready while I get ready for bed?"

"Nah, go on. I'll be right here when you get back." She gave him a quick kiss and scampered off to get ready, leaving him alone with his thoughts.

Several minutes later, she came back dressed for bed, wearing a pair of matching pajamas that were blue and red. Nick had brought out a mattress and plenty of blankets and sheets for them to use. All he wore was a pair of sweats. He had already put sheets and blankets on the mattress and was lying down, waiting for her.

"Hey. You tired?" she asked as she curled up next to him.

He shrugged. "A little, you?"

She tried to stifle a yawn, but it was useless. "Just a little. I can't believe that Christmas is finally here."

"Yeah." He wrapped his arms around her, her head resting on his chest. "Let's get some sleep, it's late."

"Merry Christmas, Nick," Madison murmured. "I love you."

"Merry Christmas, Maddy. I love you, too," he told her as they both fell into a deep slumber.

"Hey, you two! Wake up! It's Christmas Day!" Vida told them excitedly.

Nick and Madison sat up, both rubbing sleep out of their eyes. A quick glance at her watch told Madison that it was only 8:30 in the morning. "Sis, it's 8:30. In the morning."

"Yeah, so? Chip would have woken you guys up earlier if I had let him. Besides, he's already started waking everyone else up," Vida shrugged.

Nick shook his head, rising slowly to his feet. He held out a hand to Madison for her to take. He pulled her to her feet and said, "Let's both go get dressed. We might as well, now that we're up."

Madison nodded. "Yeah, you're right. Let's go." They both parted to their rooms to get dressed and showered for the day.

After a few hours, breakfast had been consumed by everyone and presents had been swapped. Nick and Madison had previously agreed that they would give their presents to each other at a separate time, which was now. Madison handed Nick his gift, which was rather large.

"What on earth did you get me that's this big?" Nick asked, looking the present over.

"Just open it and see," she replied. He shrugged and began ripping at the paper. Within seconds, he had unwrapped his gift and opened the box. Inside the box lay a black leather jacket with a large red phoenix on the back of it.

"Where did you get this, Maddy? This must have cost you a fortune," he told her as he held the jacket in his hands and examined it.

"That's a secret, I can't tell you. Can I open mine now?" she asked excitedly. He nodded his head yes and she eagerly ripped the wrapping off of hers. The present was rather small, so she assumed that it was jewelry. She opened the box and gasped. Nestled against white tissue lay a necklace that had two pendants on it, a blue, mermaid shaped one and a red phoenix. "It's beautiful."

"Not as much as you are. Look on the back of the pendants." She held the pendants close to her eyes and inspected them. Sure enough, in tiny print words had been etched. "I hope to share many more Christmases with you. I love you, Nick," Madison read. Her eyes began to water from the sentimentality of the gift.

"Hey, what's wrong? Please don't cry, Madison. It's Christmas," Nick asked as he wiped her tears away.

"I'm not sad, I'm happy. The gift just made me cry. I love you, too," she told him, giving him a kiss on the lips. She leaned against his chest and watched their friends. Vida and Chip were laughing together, Xander and Clare were sitting with each other, Daggeron was looking at the sword that he'd gotten, Jenji was playing with the catnip that he'd received, and Udonna and Lianbow were standing under the mistletoe. Madison nudged Nick and nodded her head in his parents direction. He saw what she saw and laughed.

"Should we make them kiss?" he laughed.

"Why not? We had it done to us and we did it to everyone else. It's only fair," she replied with a bit of an evil grin on her face. "Udonna, Lianbow! Look where you're standing!"

The pair looked up and saw that they were standing under the mistletoe. Everyone's attention was focused on the couple.

"It's tradition, you know. You gotta kiss," Vida teased with a grin.

"Now, now, they don't have to unless they want to," Xander retorted with a smile. He wrapped his arms around Clare's waist and smiled.

Before anyone else could make another remark, Lianbow's lips met Udonna's for a sweet kiss. Nick grinned with happiness. This had been the best Christmas that he had ever had, and he hoped to have many more to come with Madison by his side, along with his friends and family.


End file.
